We have successfully completed a £28million refurbishment to the Wishaw substation in North Lanarkshire, which is a key hub for the transportation of energy around the country.
The improvement project began in 2017 and has been completed in stages by specialist contractors while the substation continued to operate and keep power flowing around the network. The refurbishment involved the reconfiguration of the substation and the installation of 12 new bays. Additionally, the substation has been extended to allow for two pre-existing Network Rail transformers to be relocated into it.
In 2020, we were shortlisted for The Scottish Green Energy Awards for our work on this project to offset its plastic waste into the road surfacing – a first of its kind in the industry. Once the resurfacing was completed over 3,000 shrubs and trees were also planted at the site. Over time this will not only improve the local environment but provide an important wildlife habitat.
Additionally, our community relations team worked closely with the local residents and councillors in North Lanarkshire to keep them updated on the progression of the project throughout.
Pearse Murray, SP Transmission Director at SP Energy Networks said: “Wishaw substation is a key hub within our transmission network in Scotland and large investments such as this ensure that we not only continue to futureproof the electricity network, but also play our part in supporting the country’s move to net zero emissions.
“In this year of the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, we’re proud to be delivering projects that support plans for a low carbon Scotland. The modernisation of our transmission network is key to helping us all achieve a cleaner and better future, quicker.
“As we continue that transition to a greener society, we are always looking for innovative ways we can be more environmentally friendly with our work. The offsetting of our plastic waste in road surfacing with this project has many benefits and we hope to roll this out wider among upcoming upgrades and investments in other locations.”
This upgrade project is part of a wider investment plan which has seen over £2 Billion invested over the past eight years to modernise and grow the transmission network across Central and Southern Scotland.